Marcy,
Here's my email to Ann in response to hers:
Dear Ann,
You wrote: Citizens simply aren't discerning and vigilant these days, "to
make these officials good."
I believe this is not the best goal. Lord Acton observed: "Power corrupts,
absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely." Harry Browne said: "It's not
the abuse of power, rather it's the power to abuse, lying at the heart of
tyranny."
IOW, with the perverse incentives in a democracy, officials tend not to be
malleable in the way you hope for. Consequently, shrinking their power has a
better chance (to the extent it can be accomplished) of creating a peaceful,
prosperous society than does "making them good."
Warm regards, Michael